The civil defence office of Durango state said the plane came down in a field near the airport in the state capital, also named Durango.

A plane has crashed shortly after take-off in northern MexicoCredit:Proteccion Civil Durango

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Israel Solano Mejia, director of the agency, told Foro TV that the plane "made it off the ground, but fell nose-first" just a few hundred yards (metres) from the end of the runway.

"The nose took the hit. The most seriously injured is the pilot," Solano Mejia said. However, he said, "the majority of passengers left [the plane] under their own power" and only 37 suffered slight injuries.

Earlier, Durango Governor Jose Rosas Aispuro wrote in his Twitter account that "it is confirmed there were no fatalities in the accident".

He added that emergency services were working with the airport to help the injured, and staff at all healthcare facilities in the state were ready to assist.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said he hoped all the passengers and crew were safe.

Gerardo Ruiz Eparza, head of Mexico's Transport Department, said there were 97 passengers and four crew members aboard the aircraft, which has a capacity of 100 passengers.

Officials and witnesses differed on whether the plane fell shortly after take-off or ran off the runway without really gaining altitude. But they agreed the plane was trying to take off during a storm.

The civil defence office published photos of a burning but relatively intact plane lying on its belly in a field. Ambulances lined up at the accident site to ferry the injured to hospitals.

The federal Transport Department office said in a press statement that the aircraft "suffered an accident moments after takeoff", but gave no information on the possible cause.

Ruiz Esparza told the Milenio television news channel: "It was a big accident, the plane caught fire ... there was a very strong storm at the time of takeoff."

Images showed the entire fuselage up in flames as firefighters worked to control the blaze.

Despite the fire, none of the injuries reported so far were burns. Many passengers left the crash site on foot, state civil protection official Israel Solano said in an interview with broadcaster TV Azteca.

The Aeromexico plane was bound for Mexico City when it crashed, the airline said.

The website Planespotters.net said the Brazilian-made medium-range Embraer 190 had seen service with two other airlines before joining the Aeromexico fleet, and was about 10 years old.